At a time when the government is promoting Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign, a Dalit girl from Ratia town has become a victim of outdated roadway rules.

Suresh Kaswan, General Manager, Haryana Roadways at Sirsa, claims that government rules did not authorise him to issue students' bus passes beyond a distance of 60 km.

Though students like Jyoti are entitled to free bus pass facility, the roadways authorities have refused to issue her a bus pass on the ground that Ratia is 65 km from Sirsa while they can issue bus passes for only 60 km only.

A student of MA (English) in Chaudhary Devi Lal University at Sirsa, Jyoti Rani has to travel daily from Ratia to Sirsa for her studies and spends Rs 120 every day on this count, an amount out of reach for her physically disabled father.

"My father was a car driver and worked with a private firm. A road accident left him physically disabled. Our entire family lives on the social security pension of Rs 2,000 the family gets. Under these circumstances, I am not in a position to spend Rs 120 per day on bus travel. However, my repeated requests to the roadways authorities have failed to move them. Now, I have been left with no other choice than to leave my studies midway," she lamented.

Prof Anu Shukla, Chairperson of the English Department, said Jyoti is a brilliant student but she may have to discontinue her studies if she did not get a bus pass or free boarding and lodging in the hostel.

Real art lies with the Dalits, but they have been unable to take it to the world, says National award-winning Marathi film director Nagraj Manjule.

Mr. Manjule, who is from the Wadar community in Karmala, Solapur, Maharashtra, was in Puducherry to attend the two-day national conference on 'Hindi Cinema: Dalit and Tribal Discourse' organised by the Department of Hindi at Pondicherry University on October 5 and 6.

Both his films, Pistulya and Fandry have been winners in several categories at the National Film Awards, with the latter picking up awards at several film festivals. Both reflect the struggle, reality and everyday lives of Dalits. "If you look at 'Tamasha' (a folk art of Maharashtra that includes 'Lavani' which is erotic song with dancing) and 'Lavani' or 'Lokgeet,' these were historically with the Dalits. They were appropriated and marketed by others. Ironically, while films based on 'Tamasha' have done well, people who have performed it traditionally do not garner much value," says Mr. Manjule.

Dearth of Dalit writers, directors

Mainstream films, especially Hindi films, have done little to reflect the art or lives of Dalits. "There have to be Dalit writers and directors, how else will stories about the community and India's diverse people come through in films," asks Mr. Manjule. It must also be remembered that Dalits and their stories from each region differ from each other, just as much as a Dalit woman's story would be different from any other Dalit story.

One way to deal with this gap is through film education, which is to get more Dalits interested and educated about films. The other is the opportunity for Dalits to learn from life and art, says Mr. Manjule. He lauded efforts like the conference at Pondicherry University. "A platform like this helps me not only as a filmmaker but also in widening my personal thought process as well. I get to know different points of view," he says.

'Need more schools like FTII'

Films have been viewed as an expensive profession, one in which only those with money can invest their time in. On film schools, he says there definitely needs to be more places to learn filmmaking and about films. However, these need to be able to be inclusive and open to all. "We need more places like the Film and Television Institute of India," he says.

Strength and weakness of language in film

On films in different languages, Mr. Manjule says, "Films do not need knowledge of a language as much as literature does. A film like Fandry would lose its essence as a Hindi film. In Bengaluru, where the film was screened, a sweeper girl who happened to be at the place understood the film."

However, it is also true that films made in regional languages do not receive a large audience. "Language can be the strength and weakness of a film. There has to be better coordination among filmmakers and the government to ensure films from across the country have the opportunity to be released in multiple places," says Mr. Manjule.

Members of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on Tuesday interacted with the family members of the Vishnupriya — Deputy Superintendant of Police (DSP) at Tiruchengode who was found hanging at her official residence on September 17 — in Kondur, near here.

The team, led by P. Ramaswamy, Assistant Director of National Commission for Scheduled Castes, held discussions with M. Ravi, father of Vishnupriya, and other family members for over an hour at their residence.

Briefing reporters, Mr. Ramaswamy said that the family had complained that Vishnupriya faced pressure from higher-ups in the Police Department over the Gokulraj murder case.

The family had also demanded a probe by an independent agency to ascertain the reason behind her death.

"We will submit the observation report based on the discussions with the family members and suggestions made by them to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes within four days. The decision of the commission will be final and we will wait for suggestions of the Chairman," Mr. Ramaswamy said.

SALEM: Suveetha, wife of Yuvaraj, the main accused in the murder of dalit engineering graduate Gokulraj, said that her husband would surrender before the judicial magistrate in court soon. She was speaking to the media in Attur, Salem district on Tuesday. She was in Attur to receive three people lodged at Attur sub-jail.

Five people, Sathishkumar, 26, Ranjithkumar, 22, his brother Ragu alias Sridhar, 21, Selvaraj, 32 and Chandrasekaran, 44 had been arrested by Tiruchengode police on July 1 for their alleged involvement in the Gokulraj murder case. They were granted bail on October 1 after they filed bail plea before the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) of Namakkal district S Malarmathy.

The bail order was served by the court to the prison officials on Tuesday morning.

Three of them had been lodged at Attur sub-jail while the other two were in Salem and Namakkal prisons respectively

They were dropped off at their respective residence in the official police vehicle.

Suveetha told the press that Namakkal district police had put a lot of pressure on Yuvaraj and her under the pretext of investigating the murder case, until it was handed over to CB-CID. She also claimed that the murder of Gokulraj is a bogus case and to prove this point, her husband would come out of hiding soon.

Following the release of the five accused, heavy police personnel were deployed before the concerned prisons. Salem range DIG Vidya Jayant Kulkarni and district SP G Subulaksmi have told prison officials to be on high alert. Police personnel have also been deployed at Dheeran Chinnamalai memorial in Sankagiri as they got a tip off that that 5 were going to visit the memorial to garland Dheeran Chinnamalai.

It is mandatory to release the murder accused within 90 days of arrest under bail if the charge sheet has not yet been filed.

As per the court proceedings, the CJM had issued the bail orders to the five accused on October 1. They have been ordered to sign in before CB-CID officials on a daily basis u

VIJAYAWADA: Mala Mahanadu president Karem Sivaji has urged chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu to constitute a supervisory committee headed by a retired IAS officer to ensure proper implementation of the SC and ST Sub Plan meant for the welfare of the SCs and STs.

Sivaji, who met the chief minister at his camp office here on Tuesday, submitted a memorandum to this effect. He wanted the chief minister to take steps for continuing SC and ST field assistants, filling of SC and ST backlog posts, and constitution of an SC and ST commission and measures to prevent attacks on SCs and STs. The chief minister's camp office buzzed with activity on Tuesdaymorning as soon as Naidu returned to Vijayawada after his visit to Delhi. Several people made representations to him on issues concerning them while physically-challenged persons sought sanction of pensions. Naidu asked officials to attend to their grievance.

The New Indian Express

Distribute Laptops to SC-ST Students By December: Social Welfare Minister

BENGALURU: The long wait for laptops for SC/ST students of professional courses could end soon. Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya on Monday issued strict orders to ensure distribution of laptops for students pursuing PhD, PG courses and professional courses like engineering and medicine by December.

Anjaneya, who reviewed the progress of various programmes under the Special Component Plan for SC/STs, claimed that of the `16,322 crore allocated for the programme in the 2014-15 budget, `13,245 crore (81 per cent) has been spent and the remaining amount would be carried forward for full utilisation.

He sought an explanation from officials for the delay in distribution of laptops and asked them to ensure that the laptops are distributed well before the end of the academic year. The department has chalked out plans to provide pucca houses for all homeless SC/ST families before the end of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's term in 2018.

"This year, we are building 1.50 lakh homes for homeless SC/ST families. Next year 2 lakh houses will be built under the Ambedkar Awas Yojana," he said.

For the current financial year, `16,356 crore had been allocated for SC/ST welfare and all the departments had been given an action plan for spending the amount.

"The progress of implementation will be reviewed next month and the departments that show laxity in implementing the plans will face action. Notice has been issued to the Labour Department for poor performance in 2014-15," he said.